Interview: B-Secur’s Florrie Hobbs: “It’s Great to be Part of Such Massive Growth”

Our ever-popular interview series with the great people behind the B-Secur brand continues this week, as we talk to one of our youngest team members, Florrie Hobbs.

Florrie is currently on a short placement with us before she takes her place at Bristol University to study Computer Science and Electronics.

Here, she reveals more about what’s it like working for a growing tech business.

Hi Florrie! Can you tell us more about yourself?

"Hello! I’m Florrie, I’m 18 and from Manchester and I’ve moved over to Belfast for a couple months to work here at B-Secur. I’m living by myself for the first time, which is exciting but also very scary. I’ve always been interested in computers and I like to think I’m quite a logical person, so when I was offered this opportunity I jumped at it and I’m so glad I did!

What are you studying?

"I’ve just finished my A-Levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry and I’m going to do Computer Science and Electronics next year at Bristol University. I’ve done a bit of programming before but most of the work I’m doing I’ve had very little experience of so I’m learning a lot.

You’ve worked in several different areas of the B-Secur business. What have been your impressions so far?

"Everyone in the office is super friendly and passionate about what they’re doing. Even though there’s a lot of work to do and everyone is working hard, they’re always happy to answer any questions I have."

At the Heart of Growth

I love Belfast as a city and it’s great to be a part of the massive growth in the technology industry that’s going on here.

What project are you working on right now?

"At the moment I’m doing some programming in C++ which is a language I’ve never used before so I’m learning lots. Currently, I’m creating a hashing function so that each board can be individually identified. I’m also just finishing an investigation into enrolment time using MatLab so that the time needed to enrol can be adapted to each user.

We’ve heard you’ve been drafted into a secret new product - an ECG-enabled beer cooler! Can you share more about that?

"Yes, we wanted to create a working example that uses the authentication and it gave the perfect excuse to buy a beer fridge. You have to use your ECG to authenticate before the fridge will unlock, protecting your beer or wine from everyone else in the office!"

What are your thoughts on Belfast and the Northern Irish tech scene?
"I love Belfast as a city and it’s great to be a part of the massive growth in the technology industry that’s going on here.

"In the time I’ve been here, the company has grown massively and it’s amazing to see how many people are getting involved."

What are your longer term goals for your career? Has working at B-Secur helped your direction?

"Before I came to B-Secur I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I knew that I’d probably go into something computer related but I didn’t know what that would entail and I’d never worked in an office for an extended period of time.

"After working here for a couple months, I know that this is exactly the kind of company I would like to work for and it’s really opened my eyes to the kind of career I can pursue after my degree, which is really valuable."